Sharing space on planet Earth teaches us interdependence and appreciation of our surroundings. The beautiful thing about this experience is that the supplies of Mother Gaia (Earth) are MORE than sufficient. No one should lack anything! But, we have beings that dissociate their intentions and health of ego from the larger group/population. This develops into a terrible thing called selfishness.

Selfishness can manifest on a variety of levels. The perpetrator may or may not be fully aware in a given moment. But, it is best to develop a significant degree of self-awareness. It will broaden perspectives.

First, let’s explore the passing of a loved one. If it is a parent, sibling or child, then it could be especially hard to accept the physical disconnect. For the most part, that relative have been around since your inception. Now, you must get used to not seeing-touching-feeling-hearing-smelling the decedent. I remember when my mother’s health was declining. I reached a realization that I/the family MUST support her in whichever decision that she makes about HER life. She was in constant pain and I know it was wearing on her. She transitioned in April 2013. But, the “release” was congruent with the intuitive message that she was ready to transition in February 2013. Most deathly ill persons “stick around” for various reasons. It could be to make amends with a broken relationship, to reduce the burden on family/friends of the burial process or the absorption of emotions that flow from the visitor(s) to the ill person. I would like to say this…it is always best that we allow a person’s transition to be peaceful and clear. No one should ever feel guilty about leaving loved ones.

Next, let us look at romantic relationship. This should compel many to leave comments. It is a popular yet despised topic to explore. In relationships, the healthiest approach is to establish your thoughts on the solid possibility of personal development. Energy does not lie. If you are sensing/feeling a strong attraction to someone, then it is worth exploring. Usually, it means that the two of you are meant to have an exchange for the enrichment of both parties. It could be very momentary or it could be for fifty years or any time frame in between. The two parties involved are the determinants. Clarity, honesty, allowance for trust and room for mistakes will ensure a healthy bond. Of course, it would be easier for me to focus on all of the ways that negativity manifests in relationships. “Not today!” says E as Poetlove Water. Humanity is broken and imbalanced. Only solutions should be offered, at this point in time. Word to the Wise and Unwise: No one owns anyone or is exclusively subjected to the life of another. Therefore, selfishness only stifles, agitate and interrupt a beautiful flow of moments.

Here is another thing…the naming of a child. Growing up, I always found it repulsive when a parent names a child after one’s self. I honestly dig not see the logic in this. As I became an adult thinker, it started to reveal upon me why I had disdain about namesake designation. I’ve come to the conclusion that the parent is intruding upon the autonomy and uniqueness of their offspring. In most cases, these parents seem to place extremely high demands on the child to become what they parent wants out of life. Parents, let’s remember that we are uniquely created and have our exclusive missions on planet Earth. Stifling a person’s true purpose in life can lead to depression, uncertainty, weakness, passivity and an UNFULFILLED mission. Yes, we love out children. Love is freedom and unconditional support, among other things. I would suggest the old tried-and-true method of consulting with wise Elders or spiritual meditation to know for certain the child’s true name. In many cultures, names carry power and high purpose.

Lastly, let’s talk politics and religion. Actually, I won’t do much on the two topics because people overly sensitive and too passionate. I will say this…whenever engaging in an exchange/dialogue concerning politics or religion, please say your piece and allow others to say their piece. Listen, listen, listen. Just don’t hear them…listen! Your perspective can be broaden. Although you may not agree, it doesn’t hurt to understand the other person’s viewpoint. At the end of the day, more people will enjoy engaging in conversation about politics and/or religion. Why? You listen and respect other people’s position in life. That takes a lot of SELFLESSNESS! Cheers

As an artiste and human being, I have always had a strong desire to explore this portion of life on planet Earth (and beyond). I guess this makes me free-spirited, right?! Yes, it does and I LOVE IT!

Many of my movements and decisions for life have been questioned by those surrounding me. These persons assumed that there was no thorough thought put into making certain big decisions. I am rarely an impulsive person. Historically, I have been the type to plan and organize, then, make the “grand announcement”.

During some of the exploratory voyages, I decided to study certain religions/schools of thought. I believe learned and gained a deeper understanding about my life and life in general. Also, I appreciated the sense and structure of a communal/familial setting. Those aspects were uplifting. Life is a spectrum of balance. So, there were negative aspects. The most distressing was insincerity.

It is amazing how the community of persons “love” you when you appear to be a good student or devout. When you reach the point of awakening and realization that you have outgrown the organization, then you have leadership/members begin to question your sincerity. Once you officially part ways, there a few, if any, that will contact you out of genuine concern.

In actuality, we are evolving beings. No matter where you land in life, you will have to ascend or descend. Stagnancy is not an option. The morals of the story are that true living is developing organic, genuine connection with others and life is evolutionary. Let’s move along!!!

As a writer and human being, I am always seeking the challenge of challenging myself. A writer’s group I have recently joined (Brooklyn, NY) provides a platform to be challenged and criticized. It ensures that there is no allowance for a “comfort zone” when creating art that remonstrances status quo and social ills. The result is below:

‘E’/I have always been a socially-observant person. Throughout the years, the observations have caused a myriad of reactions internally. It ranges from happiness to contemplation to inspiration to perplexity to nausea to thoughts of reversible provisional suicide. The main audience of my observations are people of the Afrikan Diaspora. My movements as a so-called Pan Afrikanist would dictate such behaviour.

One of the main behaviours that I have witnessed, indirectly and directly, is the action of disrespect. It manifests as name calling, lack of extension of certain courtesies, negative body language, unwillingness to share, unwillingness to engage in constructive communication and devaluing members of the group in which one belongs. Sad, sad, sad! I am always mindful of brevity and conciseness in my writings. The goal is to hit the points and the supportive readers continue personal enlightenment on subject-matter.

Introspection is mandatory for personal development. One wrong reaction can cost you your freedom or life. Introspection and honest analysis ensure an increase in self-worth. The hurt and pain that many Black people are feeling today manifest as terrible abuses and violence. Words can be just as, if not more, violent as punching or kicking someone. Many of us are left with deeper impressions of hurtful words that were spewed. Usually, the physical strikes heal properly with no sign of existing. An extreme that has become a phenomenon in the Black community is death at the hands of someone you know. Heated arguments, impulse, emotional triggers and low self-value have lead to many murders. Wholly, it becomes a two-sided issue. The perpetrator has little to no self-value and the victim has little to no self-value.

The onslaught of social media outlets and websites like WorldStarHipHop.com, TMZ, CNN, BET, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram have made it more convenient to observe the self-hatred and gross disrespect of Black people towards one another. It is called “entertainment” now. So, it moved from civic responsibility to pure entertainment. Instead of assisting the person(s) that is being physically struck, it is more fun to film the incident. In some instances, at least the “cameraman/woman” encourages the person winning the fight to stop or ask if the one losing is okay. SMH I am perturbed by the level of ignorance and complete apathy towards human life and wellness. About a year ago, I made the conscious decision to not view any fight videos where Black people are fighting each other. Honestly, it is very hurtful to view. I feel the pain as an observer of persons who haven’t embraced self-love. I do understand that self-love could be involvement in a fight to protect self or loved one.

The youth of today are bombarded with systemic racism, multitude of destructive propaganda, poor selection of food products/foods, broken homes and lack of sufficient parental/adult guidance. The most popular way of dealing with the demands of modern life is self-medication. A big part of youth culture is the consumption of alcohol and synthetic drugs. The glorification is psychological mediation of justifying the use of harmful substances. Anyone that knows ‘E’ know I am an advocate of youth development. In many ways, my empathic nature goes into overdrive. The pressures are real and overwhelming. The eyes of the youth’s souls scream “I want discipline!” But, it is rarely offered out of compassion, genuine concern, civic responsibility and pure love.

We are born with a conscience connected to the soul of man. It governs what is perceived as “right” and “wrong”. There is NO immunity for anyone that does not have extensive mental underdevelopment. This includes the youth. We are responsible for our actions (unless there is a lack of true cognizance in the given moment). At a certain point in time, abusing your wonderfully made machine called a ‘human body’ is inexcusable. Yes, Black people suffer deeply in the United States of America (this nation being the primary focus for this post). The list of abuses are innumerable. Yet, our heritage encourages us to call on those who have lived and transitioned from planet Earth. They are referred to “ancestors” or “angels”. Regrettably, the severe disconnect from our ancestral and cultural lineages have made this a foreign concept. Furthermore, our brains must employ unbiased, multifaceted cognitive processing for concise examination of the nuances within the challenges we face.

It is understood that long-term stress and tension cause many undesired results. It ranges from neurological unease, physical disease, social ineptness, interrupted sleep patterns and many other things. In order for the “disregarded” group to learn how to regard the others of same said group, you must think before you speak/act. The cause of blatant disrespectful actions and behaviours is directly linked to compounded stress and tension offered by modern society. The act of projection is not the best way to deal. Help can be sought in discussion groups, physical activities (sports), involvement in reflective verbal and situational (hypothetical) exercise, listening to one’s self as you speak and asking how one feels after engagement in communications with you. Be mindful. Place yourself in the recipient’s place. If you have a “ah ha” moment, then great. Your conscience is still alive and there is hope for personal reform. If you have a genuine “I don’t care” response internally, then more support is needed. We should never reach the point where we genuinely don’t care about someone. I know this is a difficult feat, especially when you live in an urban center like New York City. I have become jaded a few times in my adult life. But, I realized that I had to put in the hard work of freeing myself from jadedness. Now, I have acquired even greater respect for others and Black community at-large.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the disconnect of older and younger generations. I believe it is painfully apparent. In the latest post at Easpoet’s Blog, I will not delve into that topic. But, I would like to share personal experiences that serve as supporting evidence of the tragic nature of a non-communicative community of souls.

I have worked with youth in varying capacities, throughout the years. One of the many things I enjoy in the line of “work” (actually, I see it as a responsibility) is the level of honesty within children. Yesterday, I was fulfilling my duties as volunteer at a local Brooklyn nonprofit. A fellow volunteer suggested that the male child work with me. He refused. Then, a female child interjected by saying “I don’t wanna work with him either. He scares me! His voice is too deep!” That moment alone sparked deep thoughts surrounding the embrace, or the lack thereof, of organic masculinity.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s sentiments were not the first time I’ve encountered a great uneasiness from children. From late teens until present times, my face has carried a significant amount of facial hair. Generally, small children under 5 would be alarmed by seeing facial hair on a man. Strange, huh?! I have realized that a cultural norm in USA is shaving. It is an activity I have despised and disturbs my skin health (an ongoing problem for men of deep color). USA’s “culture” strongly discourages facial hair in many segments of society. Within the last three years, a man sporting a beard has been an expression “okay’d” by the dictates of fashion trending. Is this move ‘organic’ or ‘inorganic’, though?

Now, I will delve into entertainment for a moment. Let us take a moment to reflect on the most popular male entertainers from the preceding sixty (60) years. Names like James Brown, Chuck Berry, Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon should have come to mind. All were/are considered groundbreaking artistes for different reasons. Allow your mind to see where I am going with this. The common denominator is each entertainer had an overt feminine presence/presentation. You may wonder why Marvin Gaye’s name appeared. He was included for the same reasons as Michael Jackson, Prince and John Lennon. These men had higher than normal singing voices. The recording industry discovered a way to neutralize or cancel any overt masculine expressions within these men. Please know that the assessment is not a personal attack on any of these men. Unfortunately, they were products of manipulation of money-worshiping record executives. Each man had millions of female fanatics. Do women actually appreciate organic masculinity?

Prince

I continue to use United States of America as prime cultural example for a reason. This nation’s influence in the world has been incredible. In my opinion, it is not a good thing. Many people global emulate the latest American cultural exports. I would say the cultural import responsible for this is european societal norms. As one may flip through photographs and paintings of men from greco-roman, british, pre-medieval, medieval and modern times, it becomes quite difficult to make a distinction between a male and female. According to my knowledge, this is very intentional. Again, I am not attacking european culture, per se. I am providing my understanding of a lack of traits deemed masculine. The misconstrued history books that many of us have read states that european settlers (British, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch) founded the new land to become known globally as ‘United States of America’. So….there you have it! The revelation has come on the reason why european culture has such prevalence in USA. ( a little humor, I hope.)

As this post scoffed at the current trend of big beards among men, there is another component that thinks positively. I am happy with the fact that men are allowing the natural growth of facial and body hairs. In opposition to, I do find it appalling that the crazed, psychotic fashion committee of the world has to give its “stamp of approval”. Come on, men! Allow testosterone and hormones do its biological/physiological duties.

In conclusion, I am full support of the new age movements that have been happening globally/cosmically. The influx of corrective, healing and balancing energies on planet Earth are most necessary for the continuation of life. I am certain that EVERYONE is feeling and observing the differences in life’s requirements. Masculinity, as it once was known in USA, was drenched in discrimination, privilege, imbalance, flared ego, misogyny, disrespect, dogma and lack of spirituality. Now, masculinity must balance and be a full understanding with proper use and application of feminine energies. Once the balance is in place with each individual, then fear shall subside.